Halton Council is to become the first authority in the north of England and only the second in the country to launch a voluntary scheme for rewarding residents who recycle.

Starting in the autumn, 10,000 households in seven pilot areas will be offered the choice of earning points for how much they recycle in their blue bins. The points are converted into vouchers for national retailers, local shops and businesses, or charity donations. The pilot will run for six months.

In a full 12 month scheme, an average household could claim up to £150 worth of recycling rewards. A maximum number of points will be available, to prevent people abusing the scheme by deliberately generating extra waste

The scheme is to be administered for the council by an American company called Recyclebank, which runs a similar programme in the United States, and has now expanded to the UK.

Halton residents in the pilot areas who have blue recycling bins will be given the choice of joining the scheme as it is voluntary and free. They can also opt out of the scheme at any time.

The scheme is only designed to reward kerbside recycling, so it does not apply to the black bins that are used for weekly collections of general waste.

The system works by each bin having a micro chip fitted which identifies which household the bin belongs to. An automatic reader in the refuse wagon reads the weight of the content of the bin and calculates the amount of points awarded. Residents can track online how many points they have collected or phone for an update. Those who join the scheme will have to activate the system that records their recycling waste themselves. Until they activate the system, it will not work.

The pilot currently operating in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead saw hundreds registering for the scheme within hours of its launch.

Eligible residents will receive information packs before the scheme is due to start, explaining how the scheme works.

The pilot areas are within the wards of Daresbury, Grange, Heath, Halton Castle, Broadheath, Hough Green and Halton View.

If the pilot is successful it is intended to offer the rewards scheme to every home across Halton.

Cllr Phil Harris, Executive Board member for recycling, said: “Halton Borough Council has always believed in encouraging people to recycle and this new scheme rewards those who choose to do so.

‘’It also offers the opportunity to promote and encourage local economic development with the participation of local businesses and charities in the rewards programme.”